Kuala Lumpur: In the wake of Tuesday’s draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers Final Round, join the-afc.com as we take a look at the teams still in the reckoning for a ticket to Russia.
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GROUP A
IRAN
Iran had a mixed start to Preliminary Round 2 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers having drawn 1-1 twice at the midway stage, but a strong second half, in which the three-time Asian champions scored 15 times and conceded just one in a run of four straight wins, saw Iran comfortably top Group D six points clear of second-placed Oman.
After debuting at the FIFA World Cup finals in 1978, Iran qualified for the global game’s most prestigious tournament on three further occasions. They appeared for a second time in 1998, defeating the USA for their first ever World Cup win, before going on to take part in Germany 2006 and Brazil 2014, where Team Melli were unable to follow up that famous victory in Lyon with a second World Cup win.
KOREA REPUBLIC
The Taeguk Warriors marched into the Final Round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers in imperious fashion, scoring 24 times and conceding none during their seven successive victories to top Group G and emerge as the only team to advance with a 100% record.
Debuting in 1954, Korea Republic had to wait over three decades for a return to the FIFA World Cup finals, but their qualification for Mexico ’86 marked the beginning of an Asian record of participating in every edition of the global game’s biggest tournament since, a run that included reaching the semi-finals in 2002 when the South Koreans co-hosted the competition with Japan.
UZBEKISTAN
After an opening 4-2 defeat to DPR Korea, Samvel Babayan took over the managerial reigns from Mirdjalal Kasimov and oversaw a run seven straight victories - including big away wins in the Philippines (5-1) and Bahrain (4-0) - as the Uzbeks finished top of Group H.
Yet to participate at the finals having taken part in three FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns since 1992, Uzbekistan reached the Asian playoffs on two occasions, bowing out to Bahrain on away goals in the qualifiers for 2006 before losing 9-8 on penalties to Jordan on the road to Brazil 2014.
CHINA
Sitting third in Group C with two games remaining, China eased to victory over the Maldives before ending Qatar’s 100% record to squeeze through as the fourth-ranked of the second-placed sides, as the East Asians benefitted from final day defeats for DPR Korea, Jordan, and Oman.
All but one of their ten previous FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns have ended in disappointment, with China’s only ever appearance on football’s biggest stage coming when Asia hosted the tournament for the first time but after defeats to Costa Rica, Brazil, and Turkey, the East Asians bowed out at the Group Stage of Korea-Japan 2002.
QATAR
After a fortuitous stoppage-time goal against the Maldives gave Qatar a winning start to their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers, Preliminary Round 2 qualifying campaign, Al Annabi went on a run of victories that saw them become the first side through to the Final Round, with their impressive winning streak - coupled with results elsewhere - guaranteeing a first-place finish in Group C with two games to spare.
As hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Russia 2018 marks the last time Qatar can debut at the finals via a successful qualifying campaign having missed the cut for every edition of the World Cup since Argentina 1978.
SYRIA
Despite the well-documented social upheaval in their homeland that saw their home matches played in Oman, Syria put in a strong showing in Round 2 of the qualifiers with the West Asians winning all their matches against Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Singapore, to finish runners-up in Group E behind Japan and advance to the Final Round of qualifiers as the second-ranked, second-placed side.
Progression marks the first time Syria have participated in the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers since losing 3-1 on aggregate to Iraq in the campaign to reach the 1986 finals in Mexico, while their hopes of reaching Brazil 2014 ended in the second round after they had fielded an ineligible player in their 6-1 aggregate win over Tajikistan.
GROUP B
AUSTRALIA
The reigning AFC Asian Cup champions lived up to their status as continental champions by winning seven out of eight of their Group B matches with the only slip coming away to Jordan, a defeat later avenged with an emphatic 5-1 hammering of the Hashemite Kingdom in the return fixture as the Socceroos sealed top spot in style.
After first appearing at the FIFA World Cup finals in 1974, Australia didn’t feature again until the tournament returned turned to Germany 30 years later, reaching the Round of 16 in 2006. They failed to get out of the Group Stage in the next two tournaments, although the ‘next generation’ Socceroos that would go onto win the 2015 AFC Asian Cup caught the eye with some impressive performances at Brazil 2014.
JAPAN
Four-time Asian champions Japan stumbled at the first hurdle on the road to a sixth successive FIFA World Cup finals appearance when they were held to a goalless draw at home by Singapore. The stalemate in Saitama was a wake-up call for the Samurai Blue, who went on to top Group E after scoring 27 times without reply to win their next seven games, a run that ended with a 5-0 hammering of second-placed Syria in their final match.
After failing to reach the FIFA World Cup at their first nine attempts, Japan have been ever-presents since first qualifying for the finals at France ’98. They made it to the Round of 16 on two occasions, firstly in 2002 when they co-hosted the tournament with Korea Republic and then again in South Africa 2010, where they lost on penalties to Paraguay having been knocked out by Turkey on home soil eight years earlier.
SAUDI ARABIA
Boosted by the prolific form of Mohammed Al Sahlawi, the leading scorer in Preliminary Round 2 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers, Saudi Arabia advanced to the final round as Group A winners, with a surprise goalless draw with Palestine and an ultimately academic 1-1 draw with runners-up the UAE on the final match day representing the only points dropped by the Green Falcons.
The three-time Asian champions last appeared at the FIFA World Cup in 2006, ending a run of four successive appearances in the finals which began when the Saudis reached the Round of 16 at USA ’94, a campaign remembered for Saeed Owairan’s stunning solo effort in the 1-0 win over Belgium, a goal often regarded as one of the greatest in World Cup history.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
A 1-1 draw at home with leaders Saudi Arabia on the final day of Round 2 of qualifiers saw the UAE miss out on top spot in Group A as the 2015 AFC Asian Cup semi-finalists were left counting the cost of a goalless draw with Palestine as well as a last-gasp defeat to the Saudis in Jeddah. Nevertheless, their record was still strong enough to see them through as the third-ranked, second-placed side.
Just four years after missing out on Mexico ’86 in their first full FIFA World Cup finals qualification campaign, having withdrawn from the 1978 qualifiers, the UAE made their tournament debut at Italia ’90, where they lost to Colombia, Yugoslavia, and eventual champions West Germany, against who Khalid Ismail Mubarak scored the UAE’s first-ever World Cup goal.
IRAQ
Little separated Iraq and Group F winners Thailand during Round 2 of the qualifiers as the 2007 AFC Asian Cup champions and the Thais played out 2-2 draws in both fixtures. However, Iraq’s 1-1 draw in Vietnam saw the 2015 AFC Asian Cup semi-finalists ultimately have to settle for second in the four-team table, advancing to the Final Round as the highest-ranked of the top-four, group runners-up.
After failing in their attempts to reach the FIFA World Cups in 1974 and 1982, Iraq reached the finals for the first and so far only time, when they defeated Syria 3-1 on aggregate in the final round of Asian qualifiers to book their place at Mexico ’86, where Ahmad Rahdi made history as the scorer of Iraq’s first-ever World Cup goal.
THAILAND
The four-time ASEAN champions topped four-team Group F ahead of Iraq, after drawing 2-2 twice with the 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners and recording home and away victories over regional rivals Vietnam as well as Chinese Taipei.
Thailand have missed out on becoming only the second Southeast Asian nation to take part in the FIFA World Cup finals, following the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1938, on 11 consecutive occasions, bowing out in the qualifying rounds of every tournament from West Germany ’74 to Brazil ’14.
Source: the-afc.com